Amelia
by Moonlady
Summary: Puck had a life and agenda before Xanatos. There was a reason he was in the human world, and her name was Amelia. When she comes back into his life again life get a little complicated for a while.  This is a Puck Owen /OC fanfic.  Previously untitled
1. Prologue

TITLE: Untitled as of yet. RATING: PG-13 (for now)  
SUMMARY: Puck's life in Avalon (provided you're not going from the Shakespearean canon) is a relative unknown. So I put before you the idea that Puck had a fiancee. The chosen heir to Titania just as Puck is the chosen heir to Oberon.

This is simply a speculation fic. Character driven not plot based (unless anyone wants to help me think of one.)

Prologue

David Xanatos looked at his friend and faithful servant Owen with heavy contemplation. Owen was playing with his food. This, though unusual and cause for inquiry, was not why he was contemplating Owen so fiercely.

No, David was thinking of the trickster that lay just beneath the surface. Puck was something of a taboo subject between them. More so than ever since the birth of his son Alexander when Owen had unwittingly sacrificed his place in Avalon by siding with Xanatos over his Lord Oberon. But Owen would would always answer a direct inquiry about his life as Puck. And at the moment David was full of them.

"Has the food offended you in some way?" He asked in a light tone instead, surprising himself. Owen looked up startled, as if he'd forgotten that Xanatos was there.  
"Oh..." Owen said as he saw the mess he'd made of his plate. "No... it's nothing sir." He paused there, wondering if he should say more. "Just... there's an old friend in town."

'Cryptic as ever' Xanatos thought. This was enough indication that he meant someone from Avalon.

"Should we be expecting a visit?" He asked cautiously. In an unexpected display of reaction Owen's breath hitched and his ears and neck tinged with a pink that would never reach his face. It was a moment before he could reply.

"Almost certainly".

Author's Note:

I would first like to apologize in advance for this. I'm not a great writer and my original character is bound to be a Mary-Sue (I'm soooo sorry) who drives Owen into fits of OOCness. I've tried to tone in down and it's been working so far, so I hold out hope for the whole thing.

Also I do not have this story written in advance at all. I've got a few snippets but for the most part it's all just a partially formed scenes in my head. So updates are probably going to be randomly spaced and possibly slow.

Most of the first chapter needs to be re-written. But it'll be up very soon.


	2. Arrival

**Author's Note:** I was going to try to get this beta'd first. But I got too impatient. Anyone interested in beta'ing for me? Like I said before, the story technically isn't written yet, but if that doesn't bother you then it doesn't bother me.

OH YEAH! I forgot the disclaimer on the prologue.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles, this is simply a for fun production. I _do_ own the character of Emily/Amelia, but she's not partial to me and would no doubt be willing to wander elsewhere in the fandom if you'd like and ask nicely.

* * *

Chapter 1: Arrivals.

Owen paced his small office. Puck was practically humming under his skin and the agitation this was causing was palpable. He looked out the window.

There was a girl sitting outside the Eerie Building. She was rather plain looking, as far as he could tell from such a distance, and attracted very little attention. That was most definitely her.

'Amelia' Owen thought with a wistful sigh. He clutched the necklace he kept around his neck. He sat down and pulled it out of his shirt to examine it.

To any normal person looking at the necklace it was simply a very pretty but unusual looking quartz. The quartz-like stone was tinted green, which gave it a slightly mossy look, and the top was covered in a layer of molded gold that connected to a gold chain. To an observer versed in magic, one such as Owen, it resonated with all sorts of magic.

Specifically the magical signature of a Fae that Puck would recognize anywhere, one he'd been looking for for what seemed like a very long time.

Owen put it back under his collar and sighed again. He got up and peered out the window again. She was still there. Mr. Xanatos would be far too interested in all of this.

(Scene Change)

"She just _sits_ out there, she hasn't done anything?" Xanatos asked, the confusion evident on his face.

"That's correct sir." Owen replied.

"And you're sure it's her?" Owen just nodded in response. "She's not exactly what we were expecting is she?" Xanatos said as he scanned the security camera feed on his computer.

The girl was mousy looking at best. Her hair was dark brown, her eyes were a muted hazel, and her skin was pale and seemed to be developing a slight burn from sitting out in the sun for the last few days. She was dressed in a loose t-shirt, denim capris, sneakers and looked so normal it was almost embarrassing.

Xanatos knew that he wouldn't have picked her out of a crowd for anything based on her appearance alone. She only drew attention to herself in her attempts not to be noticed. Her holed up demeanor implied she expected to be there for a long time, and her constant glances at the building showed her purpose for being there rather obviously.

Xanatos looked back to Owen incredulously.

"Owen, when you first brought this subject up I was expecting something slightly more bothersome."

Owen frowned at him. Owen knew he couldn't articulate what about the situation was bothering him. He knew that this behavior was out of the ordinary for Amelia. She wouldn't have been as forceful as Oberon and Titania had been, it took a special sort of superiority complex for that, but the meek and uncollected nature of this person didn't match any of his recollection. This was an unsure situation for her, but if she was completely herself she would handle it different he was sure.

"There's something off about her." Owen finally said. "I'm concerned."

Xanatos put his chin on his hand and stared at Owen.

"You never did clarify why she's here." Xanatos said after a moment. Owen stared back at him as silent as ever. Xanatos picked his head up and leaned back in his chair, suppressing an annoyed sigh.

"Well, the solution to this predicament is clear. Lets invite her in shall we?"

Owen narrowed his eyes ever so slightly before nodding.

"Right away sir."

(Scene Change)

"Miss?" Emily jumped a foot in the air. She turned her head swiftly towards the voice addressing her. A stern looking man in a dark suit was looking at her. He was very tall and wore dark glasses and his whole demeanor screamed 'corporate security'. Emily paled a little.

"Y-yes?" She stuttered.

"Mr. Xanatos would like to speak with you."

Emily looked at the man in complete shock. She'd been trying to think of a feasible excuse into the building, but being offered one so blatantly was unprecedented. She'd heard that David Xanatos was a genius but certainly he couldn't really know why she was here could he? She barely knew herself, it seemed so unlikely that anyone else would know anything about her current troubles.

'Then again...' Emily thought reasonably, 'If he's got the necklace himself, maybe he'd take some time to track down it's previous owners, they do that with valuable pieces right? Or... do they? Ah, but if he figured out it was anything special then maybe he'd be expecting someone to show up for it?' Emily sighed. She figured she could assume that this was the situation.

"Alright," Emily said to the man. Feeling a little better now that she had gotten some slight bearing on the situation. She let the man lead her into the building.

After going through an intensive and invasive check-in procedure she found herself waiting in an office near the very top of the building. It was very still and unnerving and they hadn't told her how long she would have to wait.

'How should I approach the subject?' Emily wondered. 'If I just outright say the necklace is mine he might think I'm accusing him of stealing... But if I ask him where he got it that will probably sound suspicious.' Despite the fact she thought it was rude she couldn't help pacing around the office a little, she was too nervous to stay still.

The office was very typical, a Newton's Cradle sat on the desk and various interesting trinkets lined the bookshelves. It was exactly what you'd expect out of the office of a CEO... which is what bugged her most. She'd heard David Xanatos was eccentric. What sort of man transplants a castle and then has sort of office? She couldn't help but think this was a front and not where he actually worked.

She frowned as she caught her reflection in the window as she went to try and glimpse the pavement far below. If she'd known she'd be having an interview today she might've bothered to put on some make up. She rubbed a little at a small bump that was attempting to become a zit on her forehead before remembering that would just make it worse.

True to form, Mr. Xanatos didn't arrive until her mind had well and truly wandered from the subject she was there to discuss.

(Scene Change)

Xanatos was doing a poor job of concealing his interest in the girl. Owen stood behind him as he looked at the girl through the security camera feed once more, this time into his office.

"I'm going to find out what she's here for soon enough, wouldn't it be so much more convenient if you just told me?" Xanatos asked, humor tinting his voice heavily.

Owen stood firm in his decision. Mr. Xanatos had a keen interest in magical artifacts and wouldn't hesitate to con any use out of the necklace he possibly could. Telling him about it preemptively would simply put a wrench in the works.

"Well, we should go and greet our guest then." Xanatos stood up and indicated Owen should follow as he made his way into the office.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Coming up next, they actually interact.

Incidentally, I don't like having to type out "Scene change" but I'm not sure how to keep the extra spaces to indicate it more seamlessly like I was doing in my document. Anyone who knows how to work with this wanna give me any tips? It'll make the story easier to read in the long run.


	3. The Interview

**Author's Note:** I think I made myself a little dizzy from all the perspective changes in this chapter. I went a little back n' forth with them during the whole conversation because I like using the 3rd person limited type story telling. I hope no one thinks it's terrible. It should be easy enough to follow.  
But this is probably one of the big reasons I need a beta reader.  
I don't like the chapter title. (no good with titles) It was going to be either this or 'First Impressions'. I thought this felt like a more accurate description.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles. The only character portrayed in this fanfic that I do own is Amelia.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Interview

Emily sat, a bit scrunched up, in the comfortable armchair across from David Xanatos feeling a bit like a bug under a microscope. Her hands clutched convulsively around her purse straps. Aside from a polite greeting and pleasantries Mr. Xanatos hadn't spoken a word. He sat down and immediately started staring at her so intensely her throat closed up.

'He's waiting for me to say something.' She thought in a panic. She suppressed the urge to fidget more. If only he'd ask a question or something that would start her off. She could do that.

It didn't help that he'd brought a man with him, that he introduced as his personal assistant, who also insisted on staring at her in the same fashion. The man, Owen Burnett her harried mind supplied remembering the introduction, was tall and intimidating and she couldn't help glancing at him every few seconds. Something about him looked familiar, but she didn't think it had anything to do with his looks. He had a recognizable face to be sure, one that anyone who'd met him would have thought they'd seen before, but that simply wasn't what was triggering the familiarity.

Xanatos, for his part, wasn't really waiting for the girl to speak. He was taking this time to study the girl. He'd often spent the long empty moments he sometimes got to study Owen in an attempt to find the magic beneath. He had always assumed that if he knew it was there it should be easy to see and he might learn to spot it in others. This idea had yet to prove true. He couldn't spot the trickster in his faithful assistant, and apparently he couldn't see the alter-ego in this girl either.

After he gave up on the idea he kept staring anyway. The girl's preoccupation with Owen was clear and he wanted that interaction to play out if it would. The idea that he'd be privy to another Fae confrontation was both exciting and daunting even if Owen had assured him it wouldn't be like last time. He had to admit it didn't much look like there was going to be a confrontation at all at this point.

"Umm..." Emily finally got her voice working.

"Yes Miss Jones?" Xanatos asked readily. Emily tensed a little at how fast he'd jumped onto the sound. She took a deep breath and tried to start up the conversation.

"You... asked me here for a reason?" She asked. Her voice and bravery failing her just a little. For some reason Mr. Xanatos looked a little surprised. She couldn't imagine what he had expected her to say.

"You accepted the invitation for a reason as well. Perhaps you'd like to address that first?" Xanatos asked after quickly recovering.

Emily sighed. She couldn't see any way about going into this without seeming potentially crazy. She took the path of least resistance.

"I'm, I'm here about a necklace." She started off.

"A specific necklace? Or are you looking to purchase one?" Xanatos asked, smirking at her a bit. He could see her tense up again. He almost felt bad for teasing her. She was rather awkward and he had a hard time believing there was any magical being in there at all. He knew Owen was studying her every move and reaction at this point, trying to determine what might be wrong with her.

Emily refrained from getting up and storming out of the room. He had invited her in, the least he could do was refrain from such sarcasm. She relaxed her shoulders again and took a deep breath. She could tell when she was being needled. He was clearly suspicious of her and she didn't think that would help her at this point.

"A specific necklace. It's a pendant that looks like quartz with a mossy green tint and a golden top, have you seen it anywhere? Among your employees maybe?" She asked very quickly in order to not leave him any room to add anymore sarcastic quips into the conversation.

Xanatos actually paused and gave the question some thought. He hadn't seen any such necklace that he could recall. But if a Fae woman was coming and searching for a necklace it was most likely a magical artifact of some sort and Owen would have sensed it. Owen hadn't mentioned any such thing, but no doubt if he had he might've thought it funny or maybe even practical to keep it a secret for some reason.

Owen had refused to tell him why she was coming here. Was it possible he knew she was coming for this necklace? If he did and found it prudent not to mention it then the necklace was most certainly here. Owen might even have it himself.

"No," Xanatos answered after a moment. "I can honestly say I've never seen such a necklace. Certainly not among my employees anyway." He gave his voice the most sincere tone he could muster. She had no reason not to believe him.

Emily sighed and frowned, her head dropped a little. She believed him. The necklace could easily be in the hands of someone he simply didn't interact with. It was a large company after all, he couldn't know everyone even if he tried. How could she even explain that she knew it was here? She couldn't say that she could just feel it, it was just a necklace to him.

"Is there any significance to this necklace? A family heirloom perhaps?" Mr. Xanatos asked. Emily looked up at him again.

"It was my mother's. It was the only thing I had of hers, but it got lost a few years ago while I was sick." Emily replied. It was sort of true. She didn't know for a fact where she'd gotten the necklace. It had been with her ever since she was a small child before she had been adopted. Everyone always told her it must have belonged to her real mother and so she had taken that at face value all her life. Until she had lost it it had never seemed particularly special.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time Mr. Xanatos." Emily said, feeling more than a little annoyed.

"Not at all Miss Jones. Now, might I ask you a few questions?" Xanatos asked. Emily looked at him with unconcealed suspicion. The air seemed to press down on her heavily. She glanced again to the man behind Mr. Xanatos.

'Owen,' she told herself again. he seemed much more interested now than he had before. She could tell that this was now going to be an interrogation.

"Alright." She said, her tongue was trying to stick to the back of her throat. She straightened up in the chair and tried to keep her shoulders relaxed. No need to appear nervous.

"Why are you so certain that the necklace is here?" Xanatos asked.

Emily sighed. She'd been dreading that question.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I wasn't going to cut it here. But I like keeping my chapters at somewhere in between 1000-2000 words and this seemed like a really good place to cut that scene anyway.

Next chapter does not start with more interview.


	4. Recollection

**Author's Note:** I was intending to have little snippets of the rest of the interview in here, but it never made it's way in. Sorry if that feels a little cheap and cliffhanger-y. In order to satisfy curiosity Emily DID answer Xanatos' question and that was the only question he had even though she expected more. Her answer, though not completely correct and they both knew it, was that she had some sort of psychic connection to the necklace which is why she believed someone in the company had it currently.  
That being said, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the cartoon Gargoyles, I'm simply writing this story for my own enjoyment and hopefully everyone else enjoys it too. I do own the character Amelia.

* * *

Chapter 3: Recollection

_Puck ran through the trees in hot pursuit of his beloved. As he spotted her just ahead he resisted the urge to let out a maniacal giggle. As she reached the clearing in the middle of the trees she turned swiftly with a gloating air._

_"I won-" Puck, rather than stopping at the edge or slowing down at all, tackled her enthusiastically and sent both of them tumbling across the soft ground. As they came to a stop Puck was laying atop Amelia, looking terribly pleased with himself._

_"Yes my dear, you did. Are you pleased?" He asked teasingly._

_"More so now than I was." Amelia draped her arms around his shoulders and smiled coyly at him. "Though I daresay you're more pleased with yourself then ever I could be."_

_Puck just smiled at her and leaned down to nibble at her neck. Amelia squirmed and giggled at the sensations this caused. She lay there contentedly for a bit more, then suddenly rolled them over and straddled Puck's hips. He didn't seem at all distressed by this new position and started taking advantage of it immediately by caressing her sides and stomach, still grinning. He would have gone further if not for the look on her face._

_"What troubles you so?" He asked. He shifted and sat up so that she was now sitting in his lap. Amelia gave him a miserable look and he wrapped her in his arms._

_"Titania has ordered me to leave Avalon for a time." She confessed after a moment. Puck frowned at this._

_"What does she mean to gain from this?" Puck asked in disbelief._

_"She believes that it will help in my training. If I have to rely on my magic alone then it will develop faster and I'll learn more simply by necessity." Amelia explained._

_"Then she means to put you in a sink or swim environment? What foolishness from our Queen. Your training is progressing well enough, but to wander into the mortal realm unattended? It's much too soon." Puck got to his feet and pulled Amelia up with him._

_"She doesn't mean for me to go right away. I am to spend some time among the humans on Avalon first."_

_Puck looked as though he might object to that as well so she continued before he could._

_"I cannot learn to control my magic without first learning to use it, and when you're just around the corner always doing the magic for me I never get to." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders again and leaned her weight into his. "Am I never to stand on my own?" She asked in a soft, mock-sorrowful voice._

_"Never." Puck said in a serious tone and with a solemn face. "I am always to protect you and care for you and give you your every desire without fail." He'd broken into another grin by the end of the sentence, never one to take himself too seriously._

_Amelia just smiled and kissed him._

Owen woke up with a sigh. He lay in bed contemplating the old memory that had invaded his dreams and the events of yesterday that had triggered them. Yesterday had been miserable, his nerves were still on edge.

He'd expected a grand reunion. The picture in his head forgetting a bit of the details of his reality, such as his inability to change from Owen to Puck at will anymore. She'd be furious with Xanatos upon tracking the necklace to him, thinking him a belligerent mortal of some sort (which really he was, that's why Puck liked him so). But in the nick of time he'd transform and confess that he had the necklace and scold her teasingly for being so careless with it. She'd be so thrilled to see him after so many centuries that nothing else would matter at that point. It would have been perfect.

There was just one thing that he hadn't counted on: Amelia had forgotten herself.

He supposed this made sense in a way. When Amelia's time in the mortal realm had come to a close and she hadn't returned not even the Sisters could find her. The Sisters, who could track nearly any child of Oberon. Titania didn't even seem to know what had happened to her. It had been as if she'd just vanished completely. Turning into a mortal would have been the only way that she could have escaped their notice so completely.

Owen glanced at the clock and got up to mechanically start his day.

**Yesterday...**

After the meeting had ended and Emily had left the building Xanatos bade Owen to sit down. They clearly had quite a bit to discuss.

"So?" Xanatos asked. Owen frowned.

"She clearly isn't aware of who she is. I am unsure of the exact reasons for this." Owen replied. "But it is her. She wouldn't have felt any such pull towards the necklace as she described if it wasn't her." Owen knew it was her for other reasons, but he wasn't willing to divulge them to Xanatos just yet.

"Ah yes, the necklace." Xanatos smirked and put his hand out. When Owen made no move he flapped his fingers. "I only want to look at it, I've no intention of concocting a scheme this early in the game." He insisted. Owen just looked at him for a moment before removing the necklace and placing it in Xanatos' hand.

"She couldn't feel it even though it was in the room with her?" Xanatos inquired. He turned the necklace around in his hand a few, examining it's features.

"Fae simply can't feel magical artifacts with any accuracy. What she's drawn to isn't the magic of the necklace itself, but her magical signature inside of it and because it's her own magical signature she wouldn't have learned to pinpoint it. Most of her magic resides in that necklace at the moment."

Xanatos stopped rolling the stone around in his hand and looked at Owen sharply.

"Sir, might I ask of you _not_ to ask the question you're contemplating?" Owen said in a manner that was stiff even for him.

Xanatos just smiled and handed the necklace back to Owen. Owen accepted it wordlessly and slipped it back around his neck and under his shirt.

"So, what do you intend to do about the situation now?" Xanatos asked. He leaned back in his chair and smirked at Owen knowingly. Owen tilted an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sure it will handle itself well enough in good time sir."

'Cryptic as ever.' Xanatos thought with amusement.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know I didn't actually have to start the chapter off the way I did but it felt like a good place to put that little scene of blatant exposition. Actually come to think about it the 2nd part of the chapter wasn't much better. I promise the next chapter actually has stuff moving forward.

Also I wanted a scene of Puck & Amelia being all lovey-dovey. Because I'm not sure I'm going to get a chance to do that for another little while.


	5. Dreams

**Author's Note:** It seems like there's a lot of stuff in this chapter. I've decided to use the idea, that I stumbled upon in another fanfic years ago, that Owen was able to heal his hand under the exemption that it's part of caring for Alex. I doubt that Puck really minded the stone hand, it was just more convenient in the long run. Also it makes the story a bit easier for me.

Disclaimer: Gargoyles does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form. Just tossing that out there. The character is an original character created by myself.

* * *

Chapter 4: Dreams

Emily sighed, feeling annoyed and depressed that she didn't really have any other plan of action at this point. Her initial plan of stalking the entrance to the building in hopes of catching the necklace on someone wasn't viable anymore, and really it had been a stupid and time consuming one anyway.

'I'm supposed to be here on vacation,' Emily thought as she got into bed that night. 'I might as well take a couple days off from worrying about the necklace or Mr. Xanatos.'

Emily's adoptive family hadn't questioned her when she said she wanted to go on a vacation to New York before starting college. Pre-college vacations weren't weird in any way and they approved of her stretching her legs a little bit. She suspected they would have been less cooperative if she'd tried to explain anything about why she wanted it to be New York.

She fell asleep to thoughts of sightseeing and vague plans on what she should do tomorrow.

~*~*~*~*Scene Change*~*~*~*~

Fox cradled Alex in her arms, wishing desperately that he'd stop crying. For the life of her she couldn't figure out what got him so agitated sometimes. She'd checked for all the obvious things but nothing seemed to settle him. There were times when she couldn't settle him at all and she would think the world was hopeless and she'd never get any sleep or make it to her appointments on time. But then Owen would turn up out of nowhere (even when she was _sure_ he was off at some appointment across town with her husband) and take Alex into his arms and settle the child right away.

Fox tried to not be bitter about it. She knew it must have something to do with magic, but she couldn't help feeling that Alex just preferred the care Owen gave him. Perhaps they shared a special bond since they were both so in tune with their magic or because Puck could use his magic to communicate with the child telepathically.

The clock struck 8 and Fox sighed as she glanced up at it. It was nearly time to go to the benefit. She couldn't calm Alex at all and she knew David would come in immaculately dressed with Owen in tow in just a moment. Owen would then proceed to calm Alex as though it was the easiest thing in the world so she and David could then go to the benefit without a hitch. She felt like a horrible mother. She didn't even want to go to the stupid benefit.

Admittedly she was also uneasy about Owen in general. She knew she shouldn't be, as he hadn't really changed, but knowing that Puck the wild trickster was just under the surface of such a calm and collected face seemed so devious to her. She couldn't believe she could trust him with Alex's well being. She knew that Puck was teaching Alex magic, and while she didn't feel she could really object to that, the sort of lessons Puck might be teaching seemed too dangerous for a child who could barely totter. Was he endangering her child? And wasn't _that_ what she had been fighting so hard to keep from happening when Titania had wanted to take him to Avalon?

Titania... No, she refused to think of her mother at the moment. It wouldn't help at all. She was still hurt over the entire situation, but she wouldn't dwell on it now.

As predicted, not fifteen minutes later, David and Owen came strolling into the nursery. David was already dressed for the benefit, not at all concerned over missing it even though he must have heard Alex crying. David had every faith in Owen, probably even more so since the reveal of Puck. Then again David had always known Owen was Puck and he had never seen fit to tell her about it. Owen, or Puck rather, had solidified his loyalty when he sided against Oberon and that seemed to be enough for David.

Never the less David came over and took Alex into his arms with concern.

"Oh Alex, what's wrong?" He asked in a soft voice full of worry. "He's not sick?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"He's just fussy. I can't seem to calm him down." Fox said with chagrin.

"Allow me to try sir, perhaps I can settle him." Owen suggested as formal as ever, as if he _hadn't_ done so several times before. David passed Alex over to Owen and Fox held back a sigh. She'd rather Alex not be unhappy.

Owen cradled Alex and looked at him with concern for just a moment before rubbing his hand over Alex's head. Within less then a minute Alex's tears slowed to a stop. Owen favored the child with an upward tilting of the very corners of his mouth that might have counted as a smile for him. David just smirked knowingly.

Fox couldn't deny that Owen cared for the boy in any case. That was as much an agitation as a comfort somehow.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled. You do have such a way with him Owen." David smiled. "Shall we call for the limo then?" He asked, surveying her and seeing she was ready.

"Yes, I'd hate to be more than fashionably late." Fox said absently, finally taking her eyes off Alex and Owen. She reluctantly followed David out of the room.

After a moment Owen grinned.

"Your mother doesn't seem to like me very much does she?" He asked Alex, his voice changing as he morphed into Puck. Alex giggled and clapped his hands, clearly understanding that tonight was going to be a fun night.

"Clearly you're overdue for a lesson if you're getting so fussy. Your magic is getting stronger and building up more quickly. Boy is it going to annoy mummy dearest when we have to stop doing these lessons behind her back all the time." Puck tossed Alex up in the air and watched as he floated down slowly of his own accord.

"Now then," Puck continued as he caught Alex. "I've got someone I want you to meet, and I'm sure you'll just LOVE the lesson I've got planned." Puck chuckled and popped the two out of existence.

~*~*~*~*Scene Change*~*~*~*~

Puck and Alex popped back into existence in a hotel room. Puck took a moment to survey the room, noting that it wasn't broken down or shabby. It seemed like a good enough hotel at first glance. Part of him was relieved, Emily seemed to be well enough off to be comfortable even if it wasn't luxurious. He drew his attention back to the task at hand and crept over to the bed.

"Now then my dear pupil, what we're about to do is go into this lovely lady's dream. We'll of course be doing a little more than that once we're in there, but I'll get to that later..."

_Emily tilted her head to the side as she looked up at the Statue of Liberty. Was it always a man? And why did he look so familiar?_

_The statue in question was large and green like she'd always pictured it, but it was a man in a suit and glasses. He held a book, but it seemed out of place. Old looking and bound in leather. It was alright, but it seemed stiff even for a statue. Maybe the man it was based off of was just like that?_

_She turned to walk away from the statue and saw before her a rather large building. It looked like a university of some sort. There was a large flock of birds on the roof._

_Suddenly the flock of birds all took off from the roof and she was surrounded by them. She covered her eyes with her arms and when they finally cleared and she looked up she was on the roof where they had been roosting._

_She was different now. Her hair was longer and her body was different but she knew who she was. Very familiar..._

_"There you are." A voice said from behind her. She turned quickly and saw a white haired man standing under a large tree with a great bow and thick low hanging branches. He had long, pointed ears and a cheeky grin._

_"Robin." She said in surprise. "You're not supposed to be here."_

_"I was looking for you." He said. She went over and stood next to him. He caressed the side of her face lovingly. She smiled at him, feeling suddenly relieved. Like all of the worries she'd ever had weren't real anymore._

_"Talk to Owen." Robin insisted._

_"What?" Emily asked. The statement had come out of nowhere._

_"Go back to the Xanatos corporation. Talk to Owen, we've got a lot to tell you." She frowned at him and leaned forward a bit._

_"But..."_

_"Trust me." He whispered. He kissed her gently._

Emily woke up with a start. She looked around the room, thinking that he'd still be next to her. How unsettling.

Puck floated just outside the window, holding a now very sleepy Alex in his arms. He smiled.

"Wonderful work on the birds by the way." He whispered to Alex before they both disappeared.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ehhh... this chapter felt all sorts of weird to me. I didn't really mean for Puck to be so direct about it, but it felt better than the weird cryptic road I was gonna take. Incidentally, all the images in Emily's dream can be interpreted if you feel like trying. And Puck is standing under an Ash tree but I didn't know how best to describe it.


	6. Lunch

**Author's Note:** Has anyone ever had those dreams where your body looks completely different for whatever reason but you just know it's you? (All my dreams are in 3rd person so I always see myself) That's sort of the feeling I was going for in Emily's dream last chapter. She just knew it was her, so she wasn't confused by the change.

Disclaimer: I'm sick of disclaimer's now. See chapter's 1-4 for standard sorts of disclaimers for this fic.

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Chapter 5: Lunch

Emily looked up at the Statue of Liberty. She took a picture with her camera. It was a woman in a robe, just like all the pictures of it ever had depicted. What was up with that strange dream last night? She shook her head and turned away from the view of the water. It was just a dream, but it had felt very real. She recalled the person she had turned into. Some lean woman with pointed ears and silver hair. She'd been that woman before in her dreams. To the point that it was a recurring element. She didn't know what it meant.

Emily spent the morning doing the sightseeing that she told herself she the night before that she was going to do. Then she found a nice little bistro down town to have lunch. She'd already had her drink and ordered her food when none other than Owen Burnett walked in and was seated at the booth one down from hers. She groaned softly in disbelief.

The idea to get her food to go briefly crossed her mind before being quickly discarded. If he was really here for her, as her paranoia would suggest, then most likely he'd just follow her anyway. She might as well try to enjoy her meal, and she didn't really want to have to take it back to the hotel. She would sit here, pointedly ignore him, and try to relax.

This would have been a lot easier if he hadn't been staring at her. He'd only ordered a cup of coffee it seemed and was sipping it very casually while looking at her over the diner seat. After this had gone of for about twenty minutes and Emily found she couldn't eat a bite for the tension she finally waved her hand at him in a move that she hoped implied both concession and invitation. He quirked his eyebrow at her but seemed to get the message none the less and joined her with his cup of coffee.

"Miss Jones." He said formally.

"Mr. Burnett." She said, impressed with herself for being able to mimic his tone. "You've disturbed my lunch."

"You _did_ invite me over." He countered. Emily raised an eyebrow at him. She pointedly speared and ate a bite of her salad.

"Miss Jones," Owen started cautiously. Emily made a questioning sound around her food, indicating he should go on. "I confess that I may know more about your current situation then perhaps even you do."

Emily frowned at him curiously. She finished her mouthful and set down her fork.

"I'm in a lot of different situations." She said reasonably. "Which one did you mean?" Rational mind told her the only one he could really know about was the necklace, as that's the only one she'd ever discussed in his presence. But if that was the case why was he acting so cryptic? Why not just say he'd found the necklace?

"Shall I be thorough then?" He asked, but didn't wait for a reply before continuing. "I know who the woman is you appear as in your dreams. I know what pulls you to the necklace even though you don't think it's of any significance. I know why you've been feeling uneasy in your body lately, as if it's not your own. And above all, I know where you come from."

Emily just stared at him. The impossibility of this weighting the air too much for her to respond.

"You don't believe me." Owen didn't ask.

"Can you blame me?" Emily asked. Owen pulled his briefcase up onto the table and popped it open. He pulled out an old leather-bound book. He closed the briefcase again and set it back down on the floor.

"A token of credibility." He handed her the book. Emily pushed her salad to the side and opened the book.

"For my beloved, by Robin Goodfellow." She read the title out loud. She frowned. I don't get it. "What is this?"

"It's a spell book."

"Written by a character from a Shakespearean play?" Emily shut the book and looked at the cover again. Damned if it didn't... She quirked an eyebrow at it. She looked up at Owen as the statue from the dream came back to her suddenly. She frowned at him.

"Okay... I don't know what you've done, but I'm over it now." She quickly grabbed the check off the table and got her things and stood up.

Owen stared at the empty space where she'd been sitting for half a moment, then turned to see her going to the register. He gathered up his briefcase, the book, and left a few dollars on the table for his coffee just in time to follow her out the door.

"Not interested in talking to you!" Emily exclaimed as she noticed he was following her. She sped up a little, bit it ultimately did no good as he was significantly taller than her and his legs were much longer.

"You need only listen." Owen said calmly, keeping pace with her without losing his breath at all.

"I don't want to do that either. You've implanted some weird suggestion into my head last night. I might end up believing you even if you told me the sky was orange!" Emily replied, letting her suspicion come to light. Even if she was wrong he might think her crazy enough to just leave her alone.

"Your thoughts were merely led in the correct direction to meet the goals you wished to accomplish. I can _help_ you Amelia." Emily's steps faltered.

"My name is Emily." She said, picking up her pace again.

"Is it?" Owen asked casually.

At that Emily stopped. She looked sharply up at Owen as he came up next to her. After a moment of silence between the two, where it was clear she wasn't going to say anything, Owen took the necklace off and held it in front of her.

"Why do you have it?" She couldn't bring herself to be outraged or surprised by the revelation. It seemed almost obvious at this point.

"I've been looking for you." Owen stated simply. Emily shuddered. From the white-haired man in her dream it sounded romantic and poetic. From this stiff and insistent 30-something it just sounded creepy. Ignoring that feeling her mind went back to the statement itself.

"With a necklace?" She asked. She took the necklace by the pendant and her breath caught in her throat. She nearly dropped it when he let go of the chain and the full weight of the pendant fell into the palm of her hand.

"Oh." Was her only reply when she got her breath back. When she held the necklace she could feel... she wasn't sure what it was. But it felt like part of her, only more so. Like everything she'd ever been was somehow encased in the crystal in her hand. It almost burned.

She clutched it to her chest and closed her eyes. The feeling of regaining something she hadn't really realized she'd lost overtook her. She suddenly felt as if her body was completely empty space, as if she'd never had any substance. Why did she feel this way?

She was so lost in this emotion that she didn't even notice the arm around her, the movement of her legs, or the noise the outside world was making at all. Her mind was blank and her body was on autopilot so it took her by complete surprise when she finally came out of it to find herself sitting down in a rather luxurious armchair in what appeared to be a personal library.

Emily stood up with a start, her head whipping around the room. She sighed a little when she appeared to be alone. After a moment she noticed a stinging sort of pain in her right hand, looking at it she was surprised to find that it was still clenched fiercely around the necklace. She took a deep, calming, breath and started to loosen the arm muscles and uncurl the fingers. The crystal had cut into the flesh that was already a bit swollen and sweaty from being curled up into a fist. She put it in her other hand so she could move this one freely, trying to get the blood flowing again and flexing the joints.

A quick glance revealed a window, which she looked out of to try and get her bearings. Unfortunately wherever she was it was too far up to see the street. So the only clue she was given was that she was in a skyscraper. Given that this was Manhattan that didn't help much. It was already late into the afternoon, glancing at her watch confirmed this, and she felt rather exhausted.

Emily sat back down in the armchair and held the necklace up to her face to examine it. It was the same one she'd had as a child, she was sure of it. Had that man cast a spell on it to make her react the way she had? That thought broke her out of her musing. Since when did she believe so firmly in magic that that should seem like a viable option? Really, shouldn't it have been more likely that he'd put something in her drink at the diner? But he hadn't touched her drink... He'd fiddled with his coffee and then pulled out that book. The thought of books brought her back to her surroundings.

She glanced around again, this time taking in the room itself. It was clearly part of some well to do estate or something. Though why put it at what was probably the top of a skyscraper?

'Oh' she thought, realizing where she must be. She was in the Eerie building again. Owen must have brought her here when she was in the middle of that... whatever it was.

'Why would he bring me here? Do people live here?' What else would they do with a castle on the top of skyscraper, more office space? Her opinion of Xanatos' alleged eccentricity was rising by the minute. Living in a castle, above his company HQ, and apparently had some sort of warlock as a personal assistant. NO, not a warlock, he didn't cast any spells!

'He did admit to mucking about in your dreams.' A little voice in the back of her head said in a convincing tone.

'He didn't... not really anyway. He just said my thoughts were led to... whatever. He didn't admit to doing that himself.' She shook her head violently to clear it. This path was getting nowhere.

Even if he did turn out to be some sort of wizard then what? Surely he'd be able to bend her to his will even if she did... run away or whatever. She didn't think she'd have much luck running away anyway. There was a lot of security in a building like this, she was bound to be noticed.

Truth be told she was sort of annoyed to find that he'd left her alone. She couldn't really say why. Maybe she just didn't want to be alone after feeling what she had from the necklace. Her thoughts drifted back to that empty feeling and she held the necklace up to look at it again. Why did it...?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I changed where I was going to go with that end conversation quite suddenly. Needed to throw a cliffhanger in here mostly because I need a little time to re-work how I wanted the rest of it to go. Also Emily is about to get really worked up and I'm no good at writing people in a tizzy.

Also this chapter seemed very ramble-y to me. This is why I don't like writing chapters longer than about 1500 words.


	7. Spell

**Author's Notes:** Y'know, I'm not entirely sure... but I think people are starting to like this story. So it's a pity that's this chapter really sucks. I tried to make it work, but really Owen and Emily are having such bad communication problems that I'm having a hard time working around. Also, short chapter is short. Sorry about that.

I still desperately need a beta by the way. If that chapter doesn't make that abundantly clear.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Do own her.

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Chapter 6: Spell

The door opened. Emily stood up and turned around to face whoever had come in. It was a woman. She had red hair and was dressed rather casually. She also had a peculiar tattoo over her right eye. A cat face? Or maybe a fox? She was also carrying a couple of books, so she hadn't come in to see Emily specifically.

"Oh, hello." The woman said. Emily just nodded at her. "My name's Fox." Well, that answered the question about the tattoo.

"Ummm, Emily. My name's Emily." At least she was pretty sure that was her name. She had to admit she was starting to doubt. Owen seemed pretty sure her name was Amelia. No wait, she didn't trust him. He was a creepy warlock, she didn't want to trust him. Fox suddenly looked a little sheepish.

"Sorry. David told me you were in here, I just wanted to... see the situation for myself." Fox apologized. At Emily's confused expression she elaborated a bit. "He was rather distracted at the time, but I was able to get out of him that 'one of Puck's little fairy friends is in the library waiting to be dealt with'. When he said that I just had to come see for myself. You weren't really what I was expecting."

Emily wanted to say something or ask questions or SOMETHING, but she couldn't unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

"You weren't sent by my mother were you?" Fox asked quickly. The air around her and the tone of her voice implying that that's all she really came here to ask. The worry and uncertainty on her face was enough to startle Emily out of her stupor. It was almost nice to see someone as uneasy as she was.

"Uhh... no. I wasn't sent here by anyone. At least I don't think so." Emily answered. Fox breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as though it wasn't until just then that she seemed to notice Emily at all. Taking in the demeanor and expression of uncertainty Fox frowned in confusion.

"Why _are_ you here? Is there-" Fox started to ask when the door opened yet again. This time it was Owen. He looked from Fox to Emily and then back to Fox with a questioning expression.

"I was just... concerned." Fox said in a rather defensive tone. "No one said why she was here." Owen frown at her.

"She's here because she needs help." At Fox's skeptical look he continued. "She's given herself amnesia of sorts, she isn't aware of her heritage."

"Really? How strange. How did you manage that?" Fox asked Emily. Emily, who hadn't heard of any of this and wasn't sure she believed it anyway, just shrugged.

"Some misfired spell I should imagine." Owen answered. Owen approached Emily and handed her a piece of paper.

"Hold the pendant up in one hand and recite this." He told her. Emily looked up at him for a moment, and then down at the piece of paper he handed her. She didn't recognize the language at all. She looked over to Fox.

"He's not crazy is he? There's actually... something to all this stuff he's been telling me?" Emily asked.

Fox almost wanted to say no. She didn't want another Fae in her life. It seemed like Avalon was slowly seeping into her world whether she liked it or not and she wasn't particularly happy about that. But the poor girl's face. She looked like she didn't really want to believe any of this either, but she was so scared that she needed to believe in something. Fox shook her head.

"I'm not sure what he's been telling you, but he's not crazy. You can probably believe him." Fox reassured her. Emily looked at her very carefully and Fox made sure that her expression didn't waiver.

"This is a spell isn't it?" Emily asked, her attention back on Owen.

"Yes it is." He replied.

"I don't know that I can pronounce it right." She said.

"That's alright. I'm sure it'll understand you well enough." Owen assured her.

Emily looked down at the paper again, studying the words a bit closer than before. She held the necklace tightly in her left hand and raised it up to eye level. She took a deep breath and recited the words on the page to the best of her ability.

"Mèinn anam pilltinn an cèin a-staigh truis-bhràghad." The words seemed to echo and the necklace had started to burn her hand halfway through the incantation. She'd tried to let it go but her hand remained firmly clenched around it. When she'd stopped reciting she breathed a deep sigh.

"I'm... not sure what that was... but it was very tiring." Emily was able to say before she fell forward in a dead faint. Owen caught her under the arms as she fell into him.

"Is she okay?" Fox asked quietly.

"She just channeled a rather large amount of magic back into her body, it was a bit more than she could handle. She merely fell asleep so that her body can process the change." Owen shifted Emily a bit, hooked one of his arms behind her knees and lifted her into his arms.

"Change?" Fox prompted.

"Her body had been without most of her magic for a very long time. As such it's adapted into something almost... mortal. She's changing back into her true form even as we speak."

Owen headed for the door. Fox, feeling the need to stick around a bit longer, picked up Emily's dropped purse and opened the door for Owen.

"A guest room has already been prepared for her." Owen explained as Fox tailed him down the hall.

They walked the path to the guest corridors silently. Owen offering up no more explanations and Fox deciding that she didn't need to ask any more questions. When they reached their destination Fox opened the door for Owen again and lay Emily's purse on the chair near the door. Owen simply lay Emily on the bed and slipped her shoes off her feet.

Fox couldn't help but notice that the motion seemed rather tender, at least for Owen. So much so that when Owen met her at the doorway she couldn't repress a question.

"What is she to you Owen?" Owen looked a bit startled at the question. He looked at Fox carefully, deliberating on his answer.

"At the moment, a stranger." And with that he led Fox out, flicked off the light, and shut the door.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Auuuugh, I hate this chapter. So much wrong with it. I'm trying to very quickly get past this very awkward little bit.. What do you say to a skeptical 18 year old anyway? 'Yes, you are a fairy. No trust me on this one. I know because I used to be your lover.' ? So I figure having a third party come in knowing the situation would seem... more convincing and less creepy to Emily?

The spell Emily recited was very poorly translated Gaelic. She basically said Return my soul from within this necklace. Or at least I think she did. I don't actually speak Gaelic at all.

As for Owen's answer at the end... It's sort of true at this point. He's all sad about it too. I don't think he even told Xanatos about Puck and Amelia's relationship, but I suspect Xanatos figured it out on his own.


	8. Wake Up Call

**Author's Note:** Okay okay okay, next chapter to move on from that last catastrophe.

Disclaimer: I disclaim, I disclaim!

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Chapter 7: Wake Up Call

Emily stretched languidly, the fluffiness of the bed attempting to call her back into sleep. She sighed and nuzzled into the pillow. Taking a deep breath she smelled warm linens that had a slightly floral scent that she couldn't identify. It was lovely.

She shifted her legs a bit and noticed they were above the sheets. That was odd. Now that she noticed she wasn't covered she was starting to get a chill. This meant she was going to have to move to pull the covers down. She groaned. That seemed like a lot of trouble.

With another groan Emily sat up and propped herself up with her arms. At this point nothing peculiar registered in her head just yet, but should couldn't deny that she felt a little weird. So when she turned over a little bit to grab the edge of the covers and discovered long silver hair and a pair of slender, pale arms clad in armlets she was more than a little surprised.

Common sense kept her from screaming (you never scream, or you draw attention to yourself and/or the weird situation you're in), but thrashing around a bit in panic made her fall off the bed.

"I'm okay," She said aloud to herself. "Everything's fine. I'm just... still asleep." She kept her eyes firmly closed to emphasize this point. "I didn't see what I just saw... it was just an after image. Like when you believe something from a dream for a little bit after you wake up." Emily couldn't remember what she'd been dreaming about, but it wouldn't have been weird for her to look different in her dreams as she did so often.

Emily picked herself up from where she'd landed face first on the floor. She kept her eyes firmly closed, refusing to look at anything until she was firmly seated on the bed.

After several deep breaths she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that this room wasn't her hotel room. It was, in fact, much nicer than any hotel that she could afford. Why did that give her such an ominous feeling? Wait... she wasn't - ? She got up and looked out the window. Skyscraper.

"Damn." She said under her breath. She leaned her head against the glass and closed her eyes. Was she _still_ in the Eerie Building? She sighed, stood up straight, and opened her eyes.

That time she did scream. She stopped herself rather quickly, but a little scream escaped her anyway. She'd thought she'd seen a demon in the window. It was her reflection, she'd been scowling. Was - was that _her_ reflection? She looked around the room quickly, spotted a mirror and hurried over to it. What she saw almost made her faint.

Ears. They were long and pointed. Her whole face seemed to have curved upward as well, her chin was pointier and her eyebrows were arched much higher. Her hair was silver, and it reached her thighs. her face contorted into a silent scream. _What was going on?_ Her gaze went lower.

What was she wearing? She looked like medieval barbie! Armlets, cuffed boots, and a miniskirt? And the top looked like a pageboy had taken his tunic and ripped it off at the chest. She curled her arms around her exposed stomach. She could feel herself starting to freak out.

The air seemed to shudder around her as she backed away from the mirror. What was going on? This wasn't real, she couldn't believe that any of this was real.

The air was moving in waves now, expanding and trying to come back at her harder and faster. She kept pushing it away harder and the force was compounding.

The door burst open as she pushed away another wave of air. It was Owen. She wanted to stop the wave from crashing over him but she wasn't sure how. As it hit him he changed. He shrank into a white haired man with pointed ears. She recognized him from her dream.

"Amelia!" he shouted. He came over and wrapped his arms around her. "Amelia, calm down! You'll bring the castle down." He moved a hand to the back of her head and pressed her face into his neck.

The movement was calming and familiar. Since she couldn't see the wave coming back at her she didn't try to push it away. The return came over her heavily but it didn't hurt at all like she had thought it would. It was warm and soft. It still had a lot of momentum so it went outward again without her pushing it, but it was making it's way to a standstill. Emily sighed, calming down.

She wrapped her arms around the man holding her. Robin, something in the back of her mind supplied. She smiled into his neck before the situation came back to her. She lifted her head to look at him. He was smiling at her, she didn't feel as unsettled by this as she felt she should be.

"You... were Owen a minute ago." She was confused. Robin's smiled wavered a bit.

"Yes. This is my true form." He explained. "Owen is my human guise. Just as Emily is yours. You were pushing your magic outwards in waves just now, when it hit me I reverted back to what I really look like."

"That seems like a peculiar effect." She commented.

"It's reacting to another spell. I've been bound in my human form with limited access to my powers for the last two years or so." She looked at him curiously. "I'll explain it some other time." He assured her. The waves of magic were getting progressively smaller and receding back into her, so he was likely to turn back into Owen soon.

Robin caressed her hair and continued to smile at her as the magic started to calm down into ripples.

"It's so good to have you back Amelia." He sighed. "Even if you're not quite yourself yet." he added mischievously and pecked her cheek just before the magic finally came to a standstill and he turned back into Owen.

Amelia quirked an eyebrow as she was suddenly looking at chest rather than face. Owen released her stiffly. She felt as though she had about a hundred things to say to him, but she settled for the most obvious.

"How do _I_ do that?" She asked, referring to the change.

"You simply bring forth the image of Emily and you will be her." Owen explained. Amelia gave him a look that suggested this information was less than helpful. He sighed and turned her by her shoulders to face the mirror. "Look at your reflection and picture that it is what you remember yourself looking like as Emily."

"Oh." She looked at the mirror carefully, trying to picture herself in it. Her dark hair, her eyes... and after she thought she had a good idea of what she had looked like she suddenly _did_ look like that. She looked down at her body to be sure. Baggy shirt, peddle pushers, beat up watch, it was all back to how she remember, but she seemed to be missing her shoes. She looked at the mirror and noticed she was even slightly taller. She looked up at Owen's face in the reflection.

"You needn't think about it all the time. The image will stay until you think to let it go." She looked at the mirror in she moved away from it and sat down on the bed.

"What happened last night? That...spell I cast, what was that?" She asked him. Owen looked at her, looking unsure of how directly to put it.

"The necklace had... most of you in it. Your magic, your immortality, yourself essentially. You'll recall the emptiness you felt when you came into contact with it after not having it for so long." Owen reminded her. "The spell you cast took all of that out of the necklace and put it back into your body."

Emily scanned the covers and found the necklace lying near the pillow. She must have fell asleep still clutching it. She picked it up and looked at it. It still looked the same, but it felt different.

"Is this good for anything? Is it just a necklace now?"

"Actually, it was a tool given to you when you left Avalon. When paired with the right chant it summons different children of Oberon. It was given to you in case you needed help your first time out into the mortal realm. I can't fathom why it would have behaved the way it did to facilitate the situation I found you in." Emily clearly only understood about half of that. He opened his mouth to what he just said but she held a hand up.

"I'll... figure it out as I go along. I guess." Owen smirked a little. Emily raised an eyebrow at him.

"So..." Emily looked around the room and then back at Owen. "What happens now?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** So how was that? Better?

Page-Mistress - She'll meet Alex eventually. Obviously she'll have to if she and Puck are going to be interacting at all. You'll simply have to wait for it. I can't imagine she'll find it particularly relaxing though, as you seem to imply. Think about this, a magical 2 year old. Just... think about it.


	9. Planing

**Author's Note**: It occurs to me that since I'm writing this as I go some of my author notes tend to be a little misleading. For example when I said Emily was going to freak out in chapter 6 but then I changed it since bringing Fox in was a better idea. So yeah, sorry about that. I'll try not to predict what happens next in the end notes for now.

Disclaimer: Uhhh... yeah, consider it disclaimed.

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Chapter 8: Planing

It turned out that that was a very good question.

"Well", Xanatos reasoned when Owen asked for his advice. "What were her plans before all this happened? We could probably help them along. I take it you'll want to keep her close. She's just out of high school, you might convince her to go to college in Manhattan and reside here rather than in a dorm or apartment."

Owen considered this and wondered over what sort of complications Amelia's adoptive family might cause.

"Of course," Xanatos continued mischievously. "She might not want to go to college now. Not if she thinks she could pull off being a kept woman." He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when Owen failed to rise to the bait.

"Joking aside, I see no reason why she can't stay here free of charge no matter what she decides to do. After all you've done for me it's the least I can do. Besides, I've no doubt she'll find ways of making herself useful."

Owen took the cryptic message as intended. Xanatos, though not expecting it, would like the use of Amelia's free reign over her powers should the opportunity present itself. He expected that Xanatos would _find_ an opportunity to use them as well. He supposed to was to be expected; Xanatos, though more prudent than most mortals, tended to be a bit overzealous when it came to magic. The more mischievous side of him couldn't help but turn Xanatos' words around and throw them sardonically back at him though.

"You intend to hire Miss. Jones then?" Xanatos had to look at him to determine how serious he was. Job well done. Xanatos smirked at him as he discovered the joke.

"There's a thought. Though I imagine if the two of you had to stay in the same room for any amount of time the damage might be irrecoverable." Xanatos replied. "Tell her I've offered her a job, see if she'll take it. She doesn't have much of a poker face, so perhaps nothing too sensitive. You _could_ use someone to do the smaller tasks that tend to be relegated to you, couldn't you?"

It really was a thought worth considering. A second assistant job could easily be done by someone with a high school education and would normally go to some teenager who had some sort of connection, like a niece or nephew of one of his higher-ups. No reason that a relative of his most trusted PA couldn't be considered legitimately.

"I'll be sure to mention it to her."

~*~*~*~*With Amelia*~*~*~*~

Emily found herself left to her own devices for the day as Owen had to go to work. She had to admit she found this both puzzling and unsettling. Was she allowed to go out? If she _did_ go out how was she going to get back in? Did it even matter? He hadn't seen fit to explain any of this to her.

The situation she found herself in seemed too big for life to go on just as it had before she knew any of this. But for the most part even though she felt different now she couldn't remember being Amelia at all. She wouldn't be able to interact with Robin on a different level or disregard the workings of the world just because she was now a being that was supposedly above all that. She still felt as if she had to function in society.

She hadn't really had any plans made though. She figured she'd go to community college for a couple of semesters simply because her parents had wanted her to, but after that she hadn't really thought of anything. Oddly enough, it hadn't seemed important. Perhaps she had a bit of premonition. But then again maybe it would be important anyway. Owen didn't seem to have any plans for her.

She frowned.

'_Owen_ didn't have any plans'? Did she really just think that? Surely not. She couldn't believe she was so willing to put her future in his hands so suddenly. The practical part of her screamed in outrage, trusting so much in a man that she'd almost literally just met. Not only that he was stiff and cold and just plain creepy. Emily grimaced and shuddered just thinking about it.

But now the sensible, practical part of her was battling another part of her that had always been so small before. The part of her that seemed to just know when to have complete faith in something. The part of her that had always known which step was rotten in a flight old stairs, or which board would creak across the floor when she wanted to sneak into the kitchen at night.

That was a bit of a weird analogy, but it felt correct none the less. She didn't like Owen for at least a dozen different reason, but for the larger scheme of things she simply just knew she could trust him. Why did that piss her off so much?

She already missed life being sensible. This hurt her head too much.

As soon as she thought that a sensible idea just came to her. Her things were still at the hotel. What should she do about that?

No sooner did she think this, did the door open and two men came in carrying her bags. She tried not to gape at them, but it was difficult. It was like her thought had simply summoned the answer to her question.

"Are those...?" She started to ask.

"Your things? Yes Miss Jones. Mr. Xanatos sent for them from the hotel and was able to acquire a refund for your remaining stay. The money was transferred into your bank account this morning." One of the men replied as he set the bags he was carrying down. The other man set the rest of the bags down next to them, clearly trying to keep a smirk off his face.

Emily gave him a sharp, questioning look and his face sobered. She didn't have to ask why. A teenage girl, apparently alone in New York, moving from an average hotel into the home of a multi-billionaire? It did have a sort of salacious ring to it.

When the two men left Emily stared at her bags curiously, thinking about what their presence entailed.

Mr. Xanatos had simply called for her things without her consent. Apparently it had been decided that she was staying here for at least as long as her vacation continued. She considered this decision presumptuous, but she would be lying if she said that staying in a castle would bother her. Perhaps he knew that most people would have to be insane (or at least filthy rich) to want to turn down the offer he hadn't made... Arrogant bastard. It almost made it seem as if her were below his notice so far that he simply hadn't considered actually extending the offer.

She was probably taking this too personally.

She turned her attention back to her current predicament. What was she going to do for the remainder of the day?

Well, now that she had her things she might as well take a shower and change her clothes. It hadn't seemed important this morning, but now that she had the supplies it seemed more pressing.

She gathered a few things headed into the bathroom.

The Bathroom was sort of sterile and cold feeling. But that was just a feeling she tended to get with new bathrooms, she knew it would wear off as soon as she got into the shower and started relaxing a bit. So she preceded to do just that.

She undressed and adjusted the water and stepped into the stall. It was a waterfall type shower, where the water just came straight out of the ceiling. She kept getting water in her eyes because of it, and she couldn't get the water to stay at a temperature she liked because of the weird high-tech faucet. She sighed. She _would_ get used to it, at least in time to leave like she usually did.

In the meantime she closed her eyes and tried to relax. She pictured herself in a real waterfall, someplace in a forest where it was nice a green and the ground was soft. It brought to mind those shampoo commercials and she was starting to get into the idea.

She didn't realize her little fantasy was altering the bathroom itself, turning it into a little glade. The tile turned into mossy ground, the ceiling seemed to disappear, the outer walls turned into a cliff face with her shower coming down from them. Emily herself shifted into Amelia without noticing.

Within moments anyone might've mistaken the scene out of an enchanted forest or a fairytale.

Amelia felt much better.

~*~*~*~*And now...*~*~*~*~

Owen knocked gently on the door to Amelia's rooms.

'Emily' he reminded himself. He knew she'd be more comfortable with that name.

When he got no answer he knocked again. After a moment he simply opened the door. She was most likely out somewhere, but he should check to see if her things had been delivered if nothing else.

Owen stopped in surprise when he got a full view of the room. For the most part it was normal, and the bags _had_ been delivered, but the wall. The wall was covered in what appeared to be vines and moss.

'What has she done now?' Puck asked from deep inside him. The door and wall were still firmly in place, but he could feel the magic seeping from behind it. It was far more controlled than from this morning, but it still seemed to be leaking. Surely she wasn't experimenting with her powers already? He had thought he'd have to force her to even consider it from her reaction.

He went over to the door. It was the bathroom door, he noted. He wondered briefly if he should go inside, but felt it was worth the risk to her privacy at the moment as the door seemed to be dissolving anyway and he might not be able to stop the magic from spreading otherwise.

He opened the door.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Eeee... I'm gonna stop it there. I can't help it. The cliffhanger presented itself and really the expectant mood will help the next scene. Nothing weird is gonna happen, it's still Owen after all. He's too stiff and formal to get particularly hilariously flustered. Pity though, isn't it? 

Also, sorry for the cheesy walk-in set up scene. But I couldn't help it. Once the idea presented itself it was just too good to pass up. I know it's all cliche romantic comedy type crap, but it's _fun_. I hope it wasn't written too badly, I know that sometimes those are a pain to read even when you want it to happen.**  
**


	10. Plans

**Author's Note:** Sorry guys. Didn't mean to keep you hanging for so long. Combination of things came up, you know how it is probably. Anyway, here it is, and as usual sorry it sucks. *shrugs*

* * *

Chapter 9: Plans

Puck had taken a lot of careful consideration while building Owen. Given him certain... statistics. A set of very strict and efficient rules by which he's governed. Six hours of sleep a night, a strong resting heart rate, a brisk walking pace, and things of that nature.

In short, Owen was made to work and very little else.

Puck had of course incorporated a few flaws as well. Less than perfect eyesight, somewhat awkward social behavior to discourage people from getting too interested, most of which were based on Preston Vogel's outward manner.

But there was another characteristic that Puck had made sure to include in Owen. A flaw that he'd seen enough to know that all mortal men had and that he thought would really never come up. A small flaw that would only serve to act as a little reminder of his game and amuse himto think about from time to time. And so it had until right this very moment.

Owen was particularly susceptible to being enthralled by fae women.

A flaw that Puck was now kicking himself for ever even thinking was funny enough that it would have been worth such a risk. For at this very moment Owen had all but stopped breathing.

'Work! Damn you!' Puck screamed from inside him. 'Do _something_!'

Owen sighed, falling against a convenient tree trunk when his legs started failing him. Every part of his being was fixed on the vision before him. Asking him to remember his name would have been a request comparable to asking a tortoise to fly. His feet slid out from under him and he used the tree trunk to slowly fall to the mossy floor. This, by chance, made him lose his line of sight to Amelia.

It took quite a bit of effort to catch his breath and remember who he was, let alone why he was here in the first place.

He looked around, carefully avoiding the waterfall. The tree he was gripping for dear life was actually the door frame transformed. Amelia's magic was spreading.

"Amelia!" He shouted, forgetting that a spooked fairy is likely to react badly. And to say that Amelia was spooked would be an understatement.

Before he even had a chance to register Amelia's reaction he was slammed back into the opposite wall of the bedroom. Swimming in his vision was a view of the bathroom door re-solidifying before the world disappeared completely.

He jerked to attention what he thought must have been just a moment later to find Emily kneeling before him clad only in a bathrobe.

"Oh god!" She moaned. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to do that, it's just you were suddenly just _there_ and I couldn't help it!" She exclaimed, trying to do so not-loudly so as to not aggravate the headache he was surely starting to get.

Owen couldn't think. Emily was gripping he head gently, checking for injury. This offered him a rather intimate view down her robe. He could see little more than her sternum, but the the view combined with the after effects of the close encounter with Amelia was leaving him rather breathless.

"Look at me." She said. Owen looked up, a bit startled, thinking he'd been caught. She didn't appear to be mad though. It dawned on him that she was checking his eyes for lucidity. Finally she leaned back with a sigh of relief.

"Seems like you're alright." She concluded finally.

Owen decided _not_ to tell her that he'd taken much worse beatings. He didn't think that would help her mood any.

Emily gave him a confused look, the situation starting to dawn on her.

"Umm... why are you here anyway?"

Owen decided that his voice was steady enough to answer that. Any breathlessness could be written off as having had the wind knocked out of him at this point.

"I was coming to discuss your plans and living arrangements from this point on. But perhaps now isn't the best time?" Emily backed off and got to her feet as Owen made a move to do the same.

"Plans?" Emily asked. Then she stopped. "No, you're right. Now probably isn't the best time. She seemed to only just then realize that she was wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

After going through a few more increasingly awkward motions of saying goodbye after such a scene Owen finally made it out the door. He looked at his watch and found he'd spent his entire extended lunch break and accomplished absolutely nothing. He could only hope that this wasn't going to become a common occurrence.

~*~*~*~*(Later)*~*~*~*~

It had been separately, but mutually, agreed upon that Owen wouldn't go into her room without express invitation at that point. So rather than Owen coming into Emily's room that evening they decided that they'd go to the kitchens. Neither of them had had dinner yet and Emily still hadn't seen any of the castle despite having spent a day and a half there already.

The kitchen in question was rather large with a dining cove for servants. It was a bit late due to the fact that Owen just naturally worked long hours and so the kitchens were clean and deserted.

With little fuss they decided to raid the leftovers of the family meal and make sandwiches.

Emily watched as Owen methodically put together sandwiches out of the roast beef he'd heated up in the microwave. For someone who seemed to move so stiffly he really was quite efficient. Maybe it wasn't that he moved stiffly, but he never moved without necessity. It was interesting to look at once you knew what you were seeing.

Once the food was plated and served, and had Owen sat down with her, Emily opened the subject again.

"So, plans?" She asked, remembering the stripe of the planned conversation.

"Yes, have you any?" Owen asked. Emily, not expecting this to involve her for some reason, just looked at him looking completely puzzled. Not wanting to look like a complete idiot she tried for some answer.

"Plans for what?" Owen rolled his eyes as discretely as he could.

"Let us assume we've disrupted your vacation plans and go from there."

It finally dawned on Emily that he was asking about the very thing she'd been pondering earlier. What was she intending to do in the future?

It wasn't a less daunting question coming from him, she surmised.

"I hadn't thought of it much." She answered rather quickly. "Most of me was so focused on getting up to this point I hadn't thought much of the after." She frowned at her roast beef sandwich.

"Well, there are several options open to you at this point." Owen replied.

Emily had the distinct feeling that she was being led on a chain through the conversation already. She supposed that it wasn't really a stretch to guess that she would answer the way she had (he clearly knew several more obscure things about her) and so segueing into what THEY wanted to do with her wouldn't have taken a genius... but still. Somehow it underlined a manipulative streak.

"Mmm?" She questioned around a bite of sandwich that she'd taken a little more viciously than she'd had to. She was determined to have this sandwich, as she couldn't really remember her last meal but had the distinct impression she hadn't gotten to eat it.

"Well, there are several colleges in the area and, alternatively, several jobs to be had."

"In Manhattan maybe, in smalltown Ohio notsomuch..." Emily pondered aloud. This was said mostly to herself but there was no denying that Owen caught it. He'd stopped... well, everything. She refocused her eyes to find him staring at her, perfectly still. There seemed to be some urgency in the act, not that that made any sense at all.

Emily couldn't fathom what seemed to bother Owen about what she'd just said. Was it because she was from Ohio? She pressed on.

"So, I guess you wanted to talk to me about some sort of opportunities there are around here or something? Cause there sure aren't a whole lot back home. Community College was looking like my best option."

"Yes." Owen said slowly, not quite recovering from his pause. "There are several colleges in the area, and Mr. Xanatos expressed interest in offering you a job as an assistant, if that appeals to you at all." Owen had said that last bit in such a peculiar voice that she had to look up.

He was looking at her very hard. Clearly there was some meaning or innuendo in what he just said, but she just couldn't find it. Seeing that the light just wasn't dawning on her he continued. His voice was tinted with annoyance, perhaps due to having to explain himself.

"A job as an assistant at Xanatos Corp, while appearing rather superficial, may require you to utilize your rather unique... _skills_." The stress on that last word left little room for confusion.

That effectively distilled the conversation down to a single point: Did she try to go back some and pretend that none of this ever happened, or did she stay here and let her life change completely?

Well... that wasn't at all daunting.

She sighed, and started to say something to that effect to Owen, but a rather boisterous voice in the hallway distracted her.

"We still have time Angela. I just want to get something to eat first." The voice seemed to startle Owen, he looked at his watch in disbelief. Emily looked up at the clock on the wall, it was just after 9PM. Owen got up swiftly and was headed to the door, but if his intention had been to waylay the owner of the voice he was too late. They'd already entered.

It had already entered.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Believe it or not that's not at all where I was going to leave this chapter when I first thought it out... But there you have it. Don't be mad at me. If ever I make a chapter without a cliff hanger you'll know that I've just completely lost interest in the whole thing. These are just as much for my benefit as they are to drive you crazy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note**

After lots of self debate and consideration, I've decided to put this story through a rewrite. Usually I think a lot about a story before I start writing it. I go through lots of permutations in my head and play out different scenes before a set pen to paper for the first go of it.

This story never really get that opportunity. Admittedly it's been through a couple of different versions in my head, but the first ones didn't really count because this started off as a really bad Mary-Sue type self insert. (It's a long story.)  
So really this story hasn't gotten a fair shake.

In addition to that I've gone back a reread what's been written so far and to be honest... it doesn't even hold my attention very well. Which, I feel, is the mark of a pretty bad fanfic right there. If even the author isn't impressed then it can't really be worth reading to other people.

So I definitely feel it can be better.

Look for the overhauled version of the prologue and Chapter One within the next month or so.

~ Moonlady


End file.
